Lagerstroemia indica Dwarf Red - Crape Myrtle

The Lagerstroemia indica 'Dwarf Red' is a variety of Indian lilac with a spread and compact habit and a beautiful bright red, punctate with yellow stamens summer flowering. Also selected for its good disease resistance, this small deciduous bush with a ball of flowers look will work wonders in a large pot on the terrace, but also in a rock garden or in the centre of a low perennial bed. It should be placed in a warm and sheltered location with full sun exposure, in neutral to acidic soil.

The Lagerstroemia indica 'Dwarf Red' belongs to the Lythraceae family. The Lagerstroemia indica, from which it originates, is native to China. This variety is still not widely distributed in the trade. This bush has a compact and spreading habit. It will reach approximately 1 m (3 ft 4 in) in height and 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) in spread at ripeness. Its growth is slow. It generally starts flowering in the month of July and will continue through until autumn. The flowers are characterised by thin pedicels each carrying five undulate-edged petals. The flowers, whose texture is reminiscent of crepe, are gathered in dense panicles, at the end of the year's branches. In 'Dwarf Red', the flowers are bright red with a heart of golden yellow stamens. The foliage, tough and deciduous, is bright green bordered with red. It consists of small ovate leaves, which sometimes take lovely yellow or red shades in the autumn, depending on the climate. Finally, and to finish off in beauty, its bark is of all beauty, smooth, beige striate with brown-red, peeling off in coloured plates (cinnamon, faded red, old pink, cream).

Indian Lilacs traditionally make the glory of South-Western gardens. Varieties like 'Dwarf Red' bring these fantastic little trees within the reach of all gardens and all sunny terraces. Of modest pruning, bushy and floriferous, we will adopt it by carefully choosing its location. In the garden, placed in a rockery, or installed in the centre of a low bed, near the house, you can fully enjoy this plant's generosity. It will look good in front of a bush bed, a flowering hedge. Compose a bed like a bouquet, with Campanula pyramidalis, Salvia sclarea, Aster laevis. A colourful bush in the autumn, this plant can well accompany the aster. In a pot on the terrace, it puts on a show as the summer flowerings falter.

NB: Karl Von Linnaeus named this tree to honour his friend Magnus Von Lagestroem (1696 – 1759), who had sent it to him from India for identification. Originally, this tree was used to decorate Chinese temples. We would like to point out that this tree produces fruits that have a narcotic action in case of ingestion.